Anna Pavlova by Tiffany Shaw-Diaz

and suddenly

her arms became wings

not like the dainty ones

given to a finch

but the luxurious ones

bestowed to a swan

she was born a human

yes I know

but that word

is simply ill-fitting

for her veins

must be charged

with the breath of angels

or the melodies

that drift between

each burning star

because I can

easily assure you

she was never

fully of this earth

---

Tiffany Shaw-Diaz is a Pushcart Prize and Dwarf Stars Award nominee who also works as a professional visual artist. Her poetry has been featured in Modern Haiku, The Heron's Nest, Bones, NHK World Haiku Masters, The Mainichi, and dozens of other publications. Her first chapbook, says the rose, was published by Yavanika Press in 2019.

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